A man has died of “devastating” injuries in an apparent brown bear attack in central Slovakia.
His body was found on Sunday night in a forest less than 200 meters from a residential neighborhood near the town of Detva in the Banská Bystrica region, reports said.
Dozens of people, including relatives and rescue specialists on quad bikes, had been out searching for the man during the day. They were accompanied by armed police due to the possible presence of wild bears in the area.
“After about two hours of searching, they found his body under the peak of Kochlačka with no signs of life,” a spokeswoman from Slovakia’s nature protection body said.
Officials said the man had “devastating” external injuries most likely caused by a bear attack, although a forensic autopsy would be needed to determine the exact cause of his death.
Specialist officers are on the ground in the area installing cameras to monitor bear movement and they intend to deploy drones for further surveillance, Slovak news site Noviny wrote.
The country’s environment minister said he would declare a state of emergency in Detva on Monday.
Meanwhile, a bear that wandered onto the streets of a resort town in Romania attacked the head of the local mountain rescue service, leaving him in critical condition.
The incident, which also happened on Sunday evening, occurred in the town of Predeal in Transylvania. According to the Romania Journal, the man was returning home after work when a female bear with two cubs – which had reportedly been seen in the area before – set upon him.
Dozens of people, including relatives and rescue specialists on quad bikes, had been out searching for the man during the day. They were accompanied by armed police due to the possible presence of wild bears in the area.
“After about two hours of searching, they found his body under the peak of Kochlačka with no signs of life,” a spokeswoman from Slovakia’s nature protection body said.
Officials said the man had “devastating” external injuries most likely caused by a bear attack, although a forensic autopsy would be needed to determine the exact cause of his death.
Specialist officers are on the ground in the area installing cameras to monitor bear movement and they intend to deploy drones for further surveillance, Slovak news site Noviny wrote.
The country’s environment minister said he would declare a state of emergency in Detva on Monday.
Man critically injured in Romania
Meanwhile, a bear that wandered onto the streets of a resort town in Romania attacked the head of the local mountain rescue service, leaving him in critical condition.
The incident, which also happened on Sunday evening, occurred in the town of Predeal in Transylvania. According to the Romania Journal, the man was returning home after work when a female bear with two cubs – which had reportedly been seen in the area before – set upon him.
Doctors said the man had multiple severe injuries to his face, head and back, and was being given mechanical breathing support at a hospital in the regional capital, Brașov.
The head of Romania’s mountain rescue crews said that the attack in an urban area “should be an alarm signal for everyone,” especially given that the region attracts many tourists.
Sabin Cornoiu said that bear attacks were becoming more frequent, the Romania Journal reported, adding that action must be taken to address the issue.
The Romanian environment minister responded on Monday, saying that measures such as relocating or expelling bears from towns did not do enough.
Speaking to the private Digi24 news channel, Mircea Fechet suggested that the quotas for the number of bears that can be legally shot should be revised.
The head of Romania’s mountain rescue crews said that the attack in an urban area “should be an alarm signal for everyone,” especially given that the region attracts many tourists.
Sabin Cornoiu said that bear attacks were becoming more frequent, the Romania Journal reported, adding that action must be taken to address the issue.
The Romanian environment minister responded on Monday, saying that measures such as relocating or expelling bears from towns did not do enough.
Speaking to the private Digi24 news channel, Mircea Fechet suggested that the quotas for the number of bears that can be legally shot should be revised.
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